Mahalaxmi monorail-Metro skywalk cut short, to stop 200 metres before station | Mumbai News
3 min readMumbaiMay 18, 2026 10:50 PM IST
Mumbai’s first travelator-equipped skywalk meant to connect the monorail and Metro Line 3 at Mahalaxmi has been shortened significantly, forcing commuters to continue part of their journey on footpaths and across busy roads instead of offering the seamless interchange originally promised.
The footover bridge (FOB), intended to provide direct connectivity betweenthe monorail station at Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk and the Mahalaxmi Metro station on Metro Line 3, will now terminate at Jacob Circle (Saat Rasta), around 200 metres short of the metro station.
Commuters using the interchange will have to navigate crowded footpaths and cross three lanes of the Saat Rasta roundabout to switch between the two systems.
The revised plan raises fresh questions over Mumbai’s long-promised “multi-modal integration” strategy, aimed at enabling smooth transfers between different transport networks.
“The original length of the footover bridge was 384 metres, directly connecting the monorail to the metro station,” an MMRDA official said. “However, it was not technically feasible to complete the connection because of the BMC flyover coming from Keshavrao Khadye Marg.”
The official said several constraints also forced the redesign, including the metro’s underground tunnel influence zone, the heritage police station in the area, underground utilities, and traffic restrictions linked to the reconstruction of the Elphinstone bridge.
According to officials, the area is heavily burdened with underground infrastructure, including water reservoirs, storm-water drains and sewer lines. Saat Rasta is also a key procession route for Ganesh Chaturthi, adding to the planning challenges.
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Another factor behind the redesign was the impact on trees at Jacob Circle. Officials said the original alignment would have affected 78 trees, while the modified plan eliminates the need for tree cutting.
Despite the truncated alignment, officials maintained that the new structure would still improve commuter movement.
“The revised alignment has been finalised in such a way that it will benefit commuters safely and easily,” the official said.
However, a commuter who expects to use the skywalk said otherwise. “I don’t think the shortened skywalk would be all that useful, because one will have to cross multiple roads to reach the metro station,” said Hiren Bawalia, a Parel resident who takes a bus to use Metro Line 3 from Mahalaxmi while travelling to BKC and hopes to switch to the monorail once services resume.
“While the footpaths are wide and largely encroachment-free, cars travel in multiple directions so crossing the road has to be done carefully.” he added.
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The shortening of the skywalk by over 100 metres has also reduced project costs by more than Rs 10 crore.
The project was awarded to a joint venture led by Niraj Cement Structurals Ltd at a contract value of Rs 82.66 crore. Following the redesign, the project cost now stands at Rs 70.05 crore.
Asked whether the skywalk would eventually connect to Mahalaxmi railway station — an idea discussed during the project’s early stages — the official said such a link was not part of the original scope but could be considered later.
